Simpson is 'Melrose' belle

Singer-actress ends TV hiatus for CW update

The singer-actress has been tapped as a lead on the CW's "Melrose" update, returning to series television seven years after landing her breakthrough role on WB Network's "7th Heaven."

On the CBS Par-produced "Melrose," Simpson-Wentz will play Melrose Place's newest resident, Violet, a bright-eyed but shrewd small-town girl and recent L.A. transplant who has come to town with a secret.

On the new "Melrose," Simpson-Wentz joins the previously cast Michael Rady and Katie Cassidy.

Simpson-Wentz is returning to television after a four-year hiatus from acting to focus on her music career. She guest-stars on the March 18 episode of "CSI: NY," also produced by CBS Par. In the episode, she and husband Pete Wentz will play Bonnie-and-Clyde wannabes.

Simpson-Wentz is repped by CAA and her father and manager, Joe Simpson. (partialdiff)